


Strawberry Festivals And Hip-Waders

by dragonshost



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-08
Updated: 2020-06-08
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:01:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24603562
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dragonshost/pseuds/dragonshost
Summary: Evergreen drags Laxus to a farmer's market in order to vet her new beau.  Instead, he gets distracted by a handsome farmer of his own.
Relationships: Evergreen/Elfman Strauss, Laxus Dreyar & Evergreen, Laxus Dreyar/Mystogan
Comments: 4
Kudos: 19





	Strawberry Festivals And Hip-Waders

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sassyhazelowl](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sassyhazelowl/gifts).



“Remind me again why you’re dragging me to a farmer’s market,” Laxus grumbled, allowing himself to be marched down the street by Evergreen and her vice grip on his bicep. The sound of her shoes on the cobblestone were driving nails into his sleep-deprived brain with every resounding clack. “And why are you wearing heels?” Last he had checked, farmer’s markets were not the sort of thing one got gussied up for.

Evergreen sniffed, and tightened her grip on his arm. For all that her choice of footwear was circumspect, they certainly weren’t slowing her down in the least. “I met a farmer boy and I need you to vet him. We’ve been flirting for a while, or at least... I think we have. But he’s been going on about, ‘manliness this, and manliness that,’ so I need a second opinion. You know I’m no good at judging the depth of something until I’m already in the water.”

Laxus hadn’t actually forgotten, though he had kind of been hoping that maybe Evergreen had with that choice of shoes. Honestly, only she would shove him out of bed at o’dark thirty for something like this. Contrary to what she believed, just because he was gay did not mean that he was a good judge of men. Experience had long since proven that he wasn’t. In fact, he and Evergreen often had the exact same horrible taste in the exact same men - once was a coincidence but five times? That was a pattern. Not to mention the fact that Bickslow had once called them both, “the worst people at communicating in the world.” Which was just insulting coming from a man sporting a bright blue mohawk at his age.

As they rounded the corner, Laxus stared at the venue for the farmer’s market. “How is it already crowded?” he wondered aloud. “It’s only eight in the morning.” It wasn’t quite to the level of sardines yet, but it was still way more people than he was comfortable with.

Pointing with her free hand to the banners hanging everywhere, Evergreen read aloud, “Strawberry Festival.” She ignored him as he rolled his eyes at her. “And it’ll get more crowded later on as it gets hotter. Since it’s a special occasion, the market will be open a lot later than it usually is.”

Ah, so sardines in a tin left out in the noon sun. Something to look forward to.

The venue was also a lot larger than he had thought it would be, he noticed. Prior to this, he’d believed that farmer’s markets were more of a “close down a block for an afternoon once a week to sell vegetables” type of affair, but this place was much more massive in both its square footage and the scope of what was available. Alongside the fruits and vegetables being laid out were street food vendors setting up shop. Laxus thought he even spotted a couple of bakeries laying out products. And was that a woodworker? There was even an open building in the center of the market, from which the tantalizing smell of fresh roasted coffee wafted out on the morning breeze.

Evergreen gave him a sharp tug, nearly toppling Laxus as his feet were suddenly and violently redirected off their course for the hot beverage of morning salvation. “Not yet, you need to vet my farmer before it gets crowded.”

‘Her farmer’ was it? Laxus tried not to grumble or dwell too much on the fact that the line for coffee would probably only lengthen while he followed through on Evergreen’s hare-brained notions.

The advertising banners for the strawberry festival only increased the further Evergreen steered him into the maze of stalls, as if anyone could miss the sheer amount of the red fruit being placed on display. The smell of the fruit hung in the air, certain to increase to a sickening degree once the heat started to rise, but for now it merely made Laxus ravenous for the breakfast Evergreen had hurried him into missing.

It was in front of one of the strawberry displays that Evergreen parked him, finally releasing his arm. “Alright,” she said, pointing to a stall down the lane. “That’s his spot. I want you to stay here and listen and then report back to me later.”

“Wait,” Laxus said, a muscle beneath his right eye beginning to twitch. “So you’re telling me I’m not even supposed to meet the guy? What the point of me even coming along to vet him for you, then?”

She huffed. “I can’t show up with you, arm in arm, and give him the wrong idea about you and me, can I?”

Laxus gestured down the lane. “There’s no way I’m going to be able to see him or hear him from this far away!”

Apparently this had not occurred to her. Evergreen stared at him blankly as she pondered his point. Then she gave it up as a bad job and shrugged. “Figure it out,” she told him before walking off. To add insult to injury, there was a noticeable bounce in her step.

He stood there for a moment, glancing at all of the produce being... well, produced and arranged to catch the attention of the farmer’s market patrons. It was then that his stomach decided to rumble, and with a groan he turned around to check out the strawberries behind him.

Only to suddenly come face to face with the owner of the stall instead.

...Sort of face to face, anyway. The man had a thick scarf wrapped around most of his face, making it hard to see much aside from his eyes. Standing so close to him, Laxus could see that they were a lovely shade of dark brown, like well-watered earth.

“Excuse me,” the man stated, indicating the display that Laxus was blocking. “I need to put up the prices.”

“Sorry.” Laxus stepped back a bit to allow the man to do his job. It wasn’t just the scarf, it seemed. The man was covered head to toe with long sleeves and gloves and culminating in... hip-waders. To his delight, it seemed as if Evergreen wasn’t alone in her poor choices on footwear this morning. Hip waders were a pretty ironic choice given that as the heat increased, the boots would begin to fill with sweat and fulfill the exact opposite of their original purpose.

“Have you considered approaching the stall later and pretending you don’t know each other?” the man commented, straightening up the final price tag on the display.

Laxus stared at the farmer, who had turned around and was now regarding the other man with... was that amusement Laxus spied? “Huh?” he replied, eloquently.

“Your friend,” Hip-Wader Man replied, his voice tinged with what was definitely amusement. “Sorry to eavesdrop, but it’s not a very big stall so I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation.”

“Oh.” Laxus took a moment to process what Hip-Wader had said. “That might work. But he might stop flirting to take care of a new customer, right?”

Hip-Wader nodded thoughtfully. “You have a point.” He leaned over and peered down the lane of vendors. “It looks like she’s at the Strauss stall. So I’m guessing her farmer is Elfman?”

What kind of a name was Elfman? At least he seemed to have a last name though. For all the years that he’d known her, he still wasn’t sure what Evergreen’s was.

“She didn’t mention a name.”

“If it’s him, then there’s really nothing to worry about,” Hip-Wader informed him, straightening his spine once more. “Elfman’s a good kid. His older sister keeps him in line, so he knows how to treat women kindly.”

Did this mean that Laxus wouldn’t have to go over there now? Excellent. “Tell me more,” he prompted.

With a snort, Hip-Wader withdrew, walking around to the other side of his display. “You’re bad at hiding your thoughts,” he commented. “Not that that’s a bad thing.”

Laxus grunted. Well, that was a first for him. Most of the time people told him he was as transparent as a brick and twice as blunt. “Why the getup?” he suddenly asked, curiosity overtaking him. “It looks hot.”

An awkward silence descended upon them as Hip-Wader’s eyebrows shot up to his hidden hairline, and Laxus contemplated the prospect of stapling his mouth shut when he returned home.

“I was cold,” Hip-Wader finally said. “But I’m not anymore, so...” Slowly, he removed his gloves and unwrapped the scarf from his face.

Laxus took back any crack he’d ever made about Bickslow’s blue hair. Because wow, this man made it look good. It was a brilliant hue, and offset by the bright red tattoo Hip-Wader had over his right eye. He seemed to be about Laxus’s age, if he had to guess. And by the way the fabric bunched against the man’s arms, Hip-Wader was also packing some serious farming muscle.

Oh no. He was exactly Laxus’s type.

Hip-Wader stuck out his hand, and Laxus shook it numbly. It was really warm, on account of gloves. “I’m Mystogan, by the way,” the other man stated.

“Laxus.”

Releasing his hand, Mystogan gestured at the strawberries on display. “Tell you what - buy something and I’ll tell you anything you want to know.”

“Phone number?” Laxus replied without thinking, his soul departing as the words left his mouth.

To Laxus’s great surprise, Mystogan smiled. “Sure.”

Later that day, when Laxus finally managed to drag Evergreen away from the closing down market, he promised to come with her again next week to make up for having never made it down to Elfman’s stall.


End file.
